Treatment of textile and other materials



I but, as is well known, such materials acquire an P atented Aug. 26, 1941 j PATENT OFFICE 2.253.041 v TREATMENT or TEXTILE BND'OTHEB- UNITED STATES Robert Wighton Moncrieif and Albert William Mortimer Cooke, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors to C clane'se Corporation 'of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application June .30, 1938, Serial No. 216,750. In Great Britain August 13, 1937 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of textile and other materials and particularly to the treatment of textile and other materials having a basis of organic esters of cellulose.

Materials having a basis of organic esters 'of cellulose have not, in general, any affinity. for the dyestuffs usually employed in dyeing cotton aflinity for cotton dyestufis if they are subjected to saponification prior to the dyeing treatment.

It has now been discovered that colourations which are particularly fast to scouring treatments may be obtained by applying to textile and other materials having a basis of organic esters of cellulose saponifying media containing salts of acid esters of leuco vat dyestuffs, and thereafter effecting oxidation of the leuco vat dyestuffs on the materials.

Preferably the salt employed is .a salt of a sulphuric ester of a leuco vat dyestufl though salts of esters formed from other polybasic acids may also be employed, e. g. salts of phosphoric esters. In general, the-salts employed will be salts of inorganic bases, e. g. sodium salts or potassium salts, though salts of organic bases may also be employed.

The saponifying media employed may contain any suitable saponifying agents for cellulose esters. Preferably the saponifying agent employed is an organic base, e. g. methylamine, ethylene diamine, benzylamine, cyclohexylamine and guanidine. However, inorganic saponifyins agents may be employed, e. g. caustic soda, caustic potash and alkali carbonates. Mixtures-of saponifying agents may be employed if desired.

Preferably the saponifying agents are employed in aqueous solution. A very suitable saponifyins medium for the purpose ofthe present invention is a aqueous solution of methylamine,

The treatment with. the saponifying medium containing the leuco vat 'dyestuflderivative referred to above may be effected under conditions wherein only partial saponiflcation of the cellulose ester materials takes place, or may be effected so that the cellulose ester materials are completely saponifled.

The salt of an acid esterof a leuco vat dyestufl employed according to the invention may be derived from a vat dyestufl of the indigoid series or of the anthraquinone series. Of particular value are dyestufls'of the types marketed under the trade name Indigosol of acid esters of leuco vat dyestuffs may be employed if desired.

and under the registered trade-mark.Boledon., Mixtures of salts The saponifying medium containing the leuco vessel containing the saponifying medium. 0r

again, yarn wound on perforated bobbins may be treated with the saponifying medium by passing 1 the saponifying medium from the outside to the inside of the bobbins, and vice versa repeatedly.

The oxidation of the leuco vat dyestufl derivative on the materials-after the treatment with the saponifying' medium during which such leuco vat dyestuff derivative has been applied to the materials may be effected by any suitable means Acorivenient method is to treat the materials with a dilute solution of an oxidising agent such as nitrous acid.

The following example illustrates the invention but is not to be regarded aslimiting it in anyway:

. Example A 10% aqueous solution of methylamine containing 20 grams of Soledon Jade Green XS (which is a 50% paste) per litre and 14-15 grams of Indigosol Olive Green'llB powder per litre is passed alternately from the outside to the inside and vice versa of perforated bobbins of stretched cellulose acetate yarn, and this'treatment is continued for a period of 5 hours at 25 C. The bobbins are then well washed with cold water and a dilute aqueous solution of nitrous acid is passed alternately from the outside to the inside and vice versa for a period of /g an hour, during which time the temperature of such solution is gradually raised to 60% C. The yarn on the bobbin was'then found to be dyed a full shade of green which was particularly fast to scouring treatments.

stuffs specified above, 4 grams per litre of Boledon Blue 4 B08 powder was found to yield aiblue colouration also of excellent fastness to securing.

The depth of colour obtained can be somewhat increased by the addition of sodium chloride to the solution of the saponifying agent and leuco dyestufl derivative.

The invention at: special importance in connection with the treatment of textile and other materials having a basis. of cellulose acetate but lose esters, e. g. cellulose formate, cellulose propionate,cellulose butyrate esters and i it may also be applied to'the treatment of textile and other materials having a basis of other cellu-r ether-esters of cellulose as, for example cellulose acetate-propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate and ethyl cellulose acetate. The textile materials treated may, if desired, be subjected to various other treatments prior to their saponiilcation and c'olouration by the process of the present invention Thus, for example, in order to obtain products having a high tensile strength, it is desirable that the textile materials in yarn form should be subjected to a stretching process while in the softenedcondition prior to their treatment according to the present invention.

The invention has been described above with particular reference to the colouration of textile materials but it may also be applied to the colouration of other materials having a basis of organic esters oi cellulose, e. g. films, foils, sheets and moulded articles.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Ratent is:

1. Process for the coloration of textile t'erials having a basis of organic esters of cellulose, which comprises subiecting'the materials to the action' oi an aqueous bath containing sodium .chloride, 10% of methylamine and a salt oi a sulphuric acid ester of a leuco vat dyestufl. and thereafter converting said salt to the parent vat dyestufl on the materials.

2. Process for the coloration of textile materials having a basis of cellulose acetate, which comprise subjecting the materials to the action of anaqueous bath containing sodium chloride, 10% of methylamine and a salt or a sulphuric acid ester of a ,leuco vat dyestufl, and thereafter converting said salt to the marent vat dyestufl on the materials.

ROBERT WIGHTON MONCRIEFF. ALBERT WILLIAM MOR'IH AZER COOKE. 

